Pingtan County ( zh, s= ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

comprising 126 islands in the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a strait separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. Names Former names of the Tai ...

, it is under the administration of the

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

, the capital of Fujian Province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Now it is also the subject of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone (). The main island is Haitan Island (; Hāi-tàng Dō).

History

During the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, Pingtan ''Ting'' () was created. In 1913, Pingtan County was established. In 2009, Pingtan Country was made a pilot zone for cross-strait integration between

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. This included preferential policies in regard to customs, taxes, investment and land use. On September 27–28, 2016, Typhoon Megi brought torrential rains across Pingtan. Bus lines resumed normal operations on September 29.

Geography

Pingtan County has a total land area of , comprising 126 islands, and covers of sea. The main island, Haitan Island, covers an area of , or 72% of the county's land area, and is the largest island in all of Fujian. Niushan Island is located in the eastern part of the county. To the east is the Taiwan Strait. The area is the closest place in mainland China (PRC) to the main island of

Climate

Pingtan, by virtue of its maritime location, has a moderated climate, with high humidity and minimal

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...

. Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, it has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa''), with mild winters and hot, humid summers, though much cooler than inland places. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from in February to in July. The bulk of the rainfall annually occurs in spring and early summer, while autumn and early winter is the driest time of the year. The area experiences windy weather, with an average wind speed of , and wind directions are consistent. Freezing temperatures have never been recorded here.

Administrative divisions

The county executive, legislature and

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

is in Tancheng Town, colloquially called ''Pingtan'', together with the CPC and PSB branches. The county administers 7 towns and 8 townships, accounting for 200 neighbourhood and village committees.

Towns

* Tancheng () Tàng-siàng Déng * Su'ao (Su-ao; ) Sŭ-ó̤ Déng * Liushui (Liu-shui; ) Làu-cuōi Déng * Aoqian () Ó̤-sèng Déng * Beicuo () Báe̤k-chió Déng * Pingyuan () Bìng-nguòng Déng * Aodong () Ngò̤-dĕ̤ng Déng

Townships

* Baiqing () Băh-chăng Hiŏng * Yutou () Sê̤ṳ-tàu Hiŏng * Dalian () Duâi-liêng Hiŏng * Luyang () Lù-iòng Hiŏng * Zhonglou () Dṳ̆ng-làu Hiŏng * Dongxiang () Dĕ̤ng-siòng Hiŏng * Lancheng () Làng-siàng Hiŏng * Nanhai () Nàng-hāi Hiŏng

Economy

Agricultural products include sweet potatoes and peanuts among others. To the east of the county is the Niushan fishery which produces yellow fish ( 黄鱼) and

cutlassfish The cutlassfishes are about 45 species of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Trichiuridae of the order Scombriformes found in seas throughout the world. Fish of this family are long, slender, and generally steely blue or silver in colour, ...

in abundance among others. ''Tangyu zicai'' () is a local speciality. Mineral resources include coal, iron, and quartz. Industries include mining, salt making, fishery processing, seafood processing, machinery, and

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

. Handicrafts include scrimshaw.

References

External links

Pingtan,China
Pingtan Government official website
【大陸尋奇#1829】福建平潭海上絲路 20190825
( Dalu Xunqi'' #1829: Fujian Pingtan, an Oceanic Silk Road- August 25, 2019')
平潭综合实验区管委会办公室关于印发平潭综合实验区（平潭县）乡镇行政区划调整突发事件应急处置预案的通知
{{Authority control Fuzhou Island counties of China County-level divisions of Fujian